So here is the disconnect for me, you say "just move" isn't the answer. It will be for some. Please tell me who is going to protect me or help me when these jack-booted thugs do everything they can to come for LGBTQ+? Everyone sees who he is trying to "appoint" and this shit isn't funny or a game. A lot of us are absolutely scared shitless over this. Some of us can't sleep, eat or shower but hey, let's discount it. I will sleep in a ditch in a "temporarily safe" state before I die for a country that wants me eradicated. I know this is opinion but damn I am tired, so tired. You know, I voted for Harris not just for me and mine but for everyone. I thought of old ones, young ones that would have their rights stripped away or worse and I was naive thinking they had our backs.
Now, the folks who probably should consider moving are well-off white heterosexual men in “blue” states. They can relocate to “red” states to save freedom and democracy. This is their draft notice. If they set up some theatres and wine bars, I’ll come down for a long weekend.
While there are a lot of bad policies in red states, I think the abortion restrictions are going to end up like alcohol prohibition in the 1920's. The temperance movement had an impact, but prohibition was so draconian and unpopular that it was eventually repealed federally, and in most states and counties, because it became intolerable. Now you can go out and buy a beer, even in red states, and have a good time, and no moral scolds will picket the café.
I live in a red part of California. I call it Calibama. I couldn't afford to leave here for a red state destination if I wanted to. Which I don't.
Even within the state, migration isn't always a panacea. In the county adjacent to where I lived at the time, Stonewall Nation failed to gain a real foothold: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stonewall_Nation
Plenty of CA is red, of course. It's sorta like the whole country in that the populous cities are blue and some of the less populated areas and farmlands are red. (With a blue north like the northeast or northwest). I love the term "Calibama."
Being a Canuckistanian, I also see the 'that's it, we're moving to Canada' posts coming in which is every bit as unrealistic as the 'just move to a blue state' solution... it is very expensive, time consuming, bureaucratic and not a guarantee that you'll be free from oppression (we also have it here in spades, people)
In the next 5 to 15 years the US dollar is going to lose its reserve currency status - much of it due to Trump's policies.
If anyone thought inflation was bad before, wait until the entire rest of the world says "fuck you USA" and starts using other currencies as their reserves.
Couldn't happen to a nicer country. And we're all gonna be marginalized anyway, don't care if you live a blue or red state.
Yeah, moving bunches of people is not realistic. I've lived in three states - Michigan, Nevada, and North Carolina (what can I say - I like swing states?). I'm not a rich dude, but I could not have made either move on my own. The first time, I was single with no kids and happened to have a buddy with a room to spare. Plus, my parents helped me out here and there, not a lot but enough that I could not have done it on my own.
Red and blue will hardly make a real difference anyway. The only indication that the GOP won't run roughshod over Federalism and state laws is their word.
So there will be national laws against transperson health care and abortion within the first month.
"Now, the folks who probably should consider moving are well-off white heterosexual men in “blue” states. They can relocate to “red” states to save freedom and democracy. This is their draft notice. If they set up some theatres and wine bars, I’ll come down for a long weekend." Love this, Stephen!!!!
Re: last paragraph--I've long had the pipe dream that millions of well-off liberals co-ordinate and move to small-population red states to build communities there and outvote the GOP minority there. Get the benefit of cheap land prices (and beautiful vistas of the Grand Tetons or the Badlands!), take over, and let those states see the benefit of liberal governance (the good part, not the shit that drove up housing prices in blue states!).
I always get the same reaction--"ew, I don't want to have to live among Republicans". Pal, you can cluster away from them in your coastal havens but don't complain that the Senate, House and Electoral College are biased against you. And remember that there are people out there who have no choice but to live among those Republicans.
Yep--heck, this is exactly how CA got blue in the first place--it was once a very right wing state and then a lot of liberals moved there. Same goes for VA and Colorado, and even AZ and GA are now swing states.
And it wouldn't take all that many "blue migrants" to turn Wyoming blue--and just think of those beautiful mountain views!
Holy cow. Such a good piece. So much going on. First thank you for pointing at the Great Migration effects research. It's a period that I think is understudied (cettainly by me) but needs to be part of our national dialogue.
Second, i looked up Pamela Keith because I thought "surely she csn't be a Democrat. Surely it's a rare error." Apologies for doubting. I don't know Pamela Keith but I feel she might not have connected with her constituents. I also feel her "just move" suggestion and it's attendant baggage might be an object lesson for the party going forward.
Finaly the call for white liberal men to move to red states might be one of the best policy prescriptions to come out of The Event. Be the change you want to see in the world. Not enough culture for you Tristyn? Fine help revitalize once great orchestras and newspapers. Need more social life Jaxsin? Fine bring your friends. Just get a move on.
I like that last paragraph very much! Blue up those states! White liberals with means, get busy!
But there's a part of me that wants to get every trans kid (ok, adults too) somewhere at least marginally safer. And there's another part of me that wants to see/be part of some kind of underground network to get women out of their states for abortion care.
Spot on, Stephen. I could move, finances are tight, but I could do it, except for family, my father, specifically. He won't leave his house, that he and Mama had built in 1967. They lived there together, until 2015, when Mama died. My brothers and I grew up in this house, and I am back, after retirement, to help Daddy out.
It's going to be bad, trump 2.0 will be trump 1.0 on steroids. Sometimes I wonder if God has foisted trump on us as a curse, because he sure as hell ain't a blessing.
I hear ya, Linda. I see all of the USA’s chickens coming home to roost. From the “Manifest Destiny” propaganda to the enslavement of Black people, the unholy military-industrial complex policy of perpetual war somewhere (just not here on our sacred ground); the political and economic devastation wherever we decided it was in our “best interests”; the jingoism, the blind arrogance, the willful stupidity of ignoring climate change, and on and on. Payback is a bitch, isn’t it? That idealistic vision of America as a great multicultural melting pot has failed. We have met the enemy, and it is we the people.
Having lived in several states in the US during my life, including Texas, this article is a bellwether. Red states will experience the horrors of becoming Texas at a faster pace than blue states. Red states, in the two years since the Dobbs decision, have already begun to feel the fallout. Physicians are leaving as state reproductive slavery laws force them to provide substandard care which has lethal consequences for their patients. Employers are unable to attract qualified, talented employees to states which deny rights to women and young girls. Educational standards fall as the best teachers leave for bluer pastures. State tax revenues fall. Access to basic services becomes a fond memory. This will accelerate as Project 2025, which targets contraception, minorities, immigrants, LGBTQ+, and no fault divorce (just to name a few) is enacted.
Relocating is never easy or affordable. Individuals must make their own decisions about what is best, and realistic. Factors to consider are employment options, expectations for diversity, equality, and inclusion, educational access and quality of public schools, access to quality health care which meets or exceeds standards of care, housing options, access to nature, quality of public transportation, high percentage of progressive voters and office holders, and climate change resilience. The smart way forward is looking at many options, and including the factors most important to you. Ignoring how bad things are likely to get is probably not helpful.
I appreciate your remarks about the study of outcomes after the Great Migration. As you point out, Black people were redlined into the most environmentally toxic parts of cities like Chicago, and Detroit, which, along with poverty and institutional racism, contributes to poor health. These facts are indisputable, but don't really support a recommendation for vulnerable people to stay in red states where they, or their family members face real, state sanctioned terror and danger.
I have benefitted from unearned white privilege, which, by default, includes increased access to educational opportunities, and good career options. Misogyny aside, white women have a comparatively smoother path. This fact makes me ashamed and sorrowful. I've lived and worked in red and blue states. I presently live in a pleasant blue bubble in a deep red state. But, given our fears for the future, and our fear of most of the white people in this state, we intend to spend the coming year saving up and preparing for a move to a solidly blue, climate resilient state.
My point is, in the current US white, cis, male patriarchy, there are some demographic groups who can, with just a little luck, avoid the worst oppression. There is a hierarchy, and white women generally tend to fare better within this system than, for example, women of color. It's certainly not because white women have more skills, or talent. It's just white privilege, diluted down so white women can never benefit from white privilege as much as white men. But, there is no question women of color, lesbians, trans women, women with disabilities all face far more discrimination, than white, cis women. All women face the risk of misogyny, domestic partner violence, random stranger violence, glass ceilings and cliffs, and must be situationally aware at all times to avoid violence or assault.
I hope you don't take my comment as a form of bragging. As I said, my white privilege fills me with shame, and sorrow.
OK. Since I am a cis, white woman, I don't understand your accusation of "mansplaining". I don't have any idea what your deal is, andvhad no intention to insult or trigger you. I have tried to be polite and sincere in responding to you. As a survivor of violent sexual assault, and a professional woman who has dealt with misogyny and microaggression for my entire life, I certainly do not need any rude backlash from you. You're welcome.
I will concede that instead of saying "Misogyny aside, white women have a comparatively smoother path." I could have instead said, "Despite misogyny, white women, like myself, have a comparatively smoother path than WOC, lesbians, trans women, women with disabilities."
Somehow, though, I get the feeling it wouldn't have made any difference, since you apparently already made the assumption I was a man. I have many failings, and regrets. But dismissing, then insulting people based on assumptions about their gender isn't one of them.
I understand why the most vulnerable would move right now. The problem is cost and longterm concerns — more Democratic voters in the current blue states (and the solidly blue ones not even swing states!) would ensure a GOP ruling majority, and the GOP won’t leave those blue states alone.
Yep--when I say "blue migrants can move out there and flip things" I don't mean the vulnerable--I totally understand not wanting to be part of that first wave over the trenches if you're a target. My message is for those with the means who won't be particularly targeted. As more set up out there, it becomes safer for others (particularly those who have been there in the first place, and can use allies).
And you're right--there's no "escape to blue states". I have a trans friend who right now is wondering if she'll be able to secure medication, and she lives in nice blue Maryland.
You're correct. As the author in the article I linked points out, Texas-style enshittification is coming to all 50 states in the next four years. My fear is it may not matter what we try to do to escape.
Future historians will probably examine how many people moved post-election, and where they went. I am expecting many to move to Europe.
Let’s swap one for one
So here is the disconnect for me, you say "just move" isn't the answer. It will be for some. Please tell me who is going to protect me or help me when these jack-booted thugs do everything they can to come for LGBTQ+? Everyone sees who he is trying to "appoint" and this shit isn't funny or a game. A lot of us are absolutely scared shitless over this. Some of us can't sleep, eat or shower but hey, let's discount it. I will sleep in a ditch in a "temporarily safe" state before I die for a country that wants me eradicated. I know this is opinion but damn I am tired, so tired. You know, I voted for Harris not just for me and mine but for everyone. I thought of old ones, young ones that would have their rights stripped away or worse and I was naive thinking they had our backs.
I'm not angry at y'all but I am pissed. Just saying.
This is a great idea:
Now, the folks who probably should consider moving are well-off white heterosexual men in “blue” states. They can relocate to “red” states to save freedom and democracy. This is their draft notice. If they set up some theatres and wine bars, I’ll come down for a long weekend.
While there are a lot of bad policies in red states, I think the abortion restrictions are going to end up like alcohol prohibition in the 1920's. The temperance movement had an impact, but prohibition was so draconian and unpopular that it was eventually repealed federally, and in most states and counties, because it became intolerable. Now you can go out and buy a beer, even in red states, and have a good time, and no moral scolds will picket the café.
I live in a red part of California. I call it Calibama. I couldn't afford to leave here for a red state destination if I wanted to. Which I don't.
Even within the state, migration isn't always a panacea. In the county adjacent to where I lived at the time, Stonewall Nation failed to gain a real foothold: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stonewall_Nation
Plenty of CA is red, of course. It's sorta like the whole country in that the populous cities are blue and some of the less populated areas and farmlands are red. (With a blue north like the northeast or northwest). I love the term "Calibama."
The hovertext from this xkcd comic (about the 2020 election) pretty much says it all
"𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘛𝘳𝘶𝘮𝘱 𝘷𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘢 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘛𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘴, 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘉𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘷𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘛𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘕𝘦𝘸 𝘠𝘰𝘳𝘬, 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘛𝘳𝘶𝘮𝘱 𝘷𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘕𝘦𝘸 𝘠𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘖𝘩𝘪𝘰, 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘉𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘷𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘖𝘩𝘪𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘔𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘴, 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘛𝘳𝘶𝘮𝘱 𝘷𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘔𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘔𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘪, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘉𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘷𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘔𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘪 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘝𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘵."
https://xkcd.com/2399/
Being a Canuckistanian, I also see the 'that's it, we're moving to Canada' posts coming in which is every bit as unrealistic as the 'just move to a blue state' solution... it is very expensive, time consuming, bureaucratic and not a guarantee that you'll be free from oppression (we also have it here in spades, people)
In the next 5 to 15 years the US dollar is going to lose its reserve currency status - much of it due to Trump's policies.
If anyone thought inflation was bad before, wait until the entire rest of the world says "fuck you USA" and starts using other currencies as their reserves.
Couldn't happen to a nicer country. And we're all gonna be marginalized anyway, don't care if you live a blue or red state.
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/dollar-election-fueled-surge-worsens-173715349.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAANQOGe74q-pX4hdxnKptuSNEXInuNlfQtW0ieEOPQzlU_EDasH98O7Ww_DnsdSSj8Q-Mwzd5iQ3pgjkVZFy_gMMpFaVc_DkMz-LmGJjp2FkwbBUV8kbzuRlb3jN6-PQm9LrfTPubPTB4zIitZDvDVB-dmjihBTnH2wqUyrOeaazb
Yeah, moving bunches of people is not realistic. I've lived in three states - Michigan, Nevada, and North Carolina (what can I say - I like swing states?). I'm not a rich dude, but I could not have made either move on my own. The first time, I was single with no kids and happened to have a buddy with a room to spare. Plus, my parents helped me out here and there, not a lot but enough that I could not have done it on my own.
Red and blue will hardly make a real difference anyway. The only indication that the GOP won't run roughshod over Federalism and state laws is their word.
So there will be national laws against transperson health care and abortion within the first month.
"Now, the folks who probably should consider moving are well-off white heterosexual men in “blue” states. They can relocate to “red” states to save freedom and democracy. This is their draft notice. If they set up some theatres and wine bars, I’ll come down for a long weekend." Love this, Stephen!!!!
Re: last paragraph--I've long had the pipe dream that millions of well-off liberals co-ordinate and move to small-population red states to build communities there and outvote the GOP minority there. Get the benefit of cheap land prices (and beautiful vistas of the Grand Tetons or the Badlands!), take over, and let those states see the benefit of liberal governance (the good part, not the shit that drove up housing prices in blue states!).
I always get the same reaction--"ew, I don't want to have to live among Republicans". Pal, you can cluster away from them in your coastal havens but don't complain that the Senate, House and Electoral College are biased against you. And remember that there are people out there who have no choice but to live among those Republicans.
I have friends that had to move out of California for jobs/cost of living and are setting up tiny blue waves in their new red states. It could happen.
Yep--heck, this is exactly how CA got blue in the first place--it was once a very right wing state and then a lot of liberals moved there. Same goes for VA and Colorado, and even AZ and GA are now swing states.
And it wouldn't take all that many "blue migrants" to turn Wyoming blue--and just think of those beautiful mountain views!
Holy cow. Such a good piece. So much going on. First thank you for pointing at the Great Migration effects research. It's a period that I think is understudied (cettainly by me) but needs to be part of our national dialogue.
Second, i looked up Pamela Keith because I thought "surely she csn't be a Democrat. Surely it's a rare error." Apologies for doubting. I don't know Pamela Keith but I feel she might not have connected with her constituents. I also feel her "just move" suggestion and it's attendant baggage might be an object lesson for the party going forward.
Finaly the call for white liberal men to move to red states might be one of the best policy prescriptions to come out of The Event. Be the change you want to see in the world. Not enough culture for you Tristyn? Fine help revitalize once great orchestras and newspapers. Need more social life Jaxsin? Fine bring your friends. Just get a move on.
Thanks!
I like that last paragraph very much! Blue up those states! White liberals with means, get busy!
But there's a part of me that wants to get every trans kid (ok, adults too) somewhere at least marginally safer. And there's another part of me that wants to see/be part of some kind of underground network to get women out of their states for abortion care.
This is a confusing, awful time.
Spot on, Stephen. I could move, finances are tight, but I could do it, except for family, my father, specifically. He won't leave his house, that he and Mama had built in 1967. They lived there together, until 2015, when Mama died. My brothers and I grew up in this house, and I am back, after retirement, to help Daddy out.
It's going to be bad, trump 2.0 will be trump 1.0 on steroids. Sometimes I wonder if God has foisted trump on us as a curse, because he sure as hell ain't a blessing.
I hear ya, Linda. I see all of the USA’s chickens coming home to roost. From the “Manifest Destiny” propaganda to the enslavement of Black people, the unholy military-industrial complex policy of perpetual war somewhere (just not here on our sacred ground); the political and economic devastation wherever we decided it was in our “best interests”; the jingoism, the blind arrogance, the willful stupidity of ignoring climate change, and on and on. Payback is a bitch, isn’t it? That idealistic vision of America as a great multicultural melting pot has failed. We have met the enemy, and it is we the people.
https://lbjvantagepoint.com/%22the-texas-regular%22/f/your-guide-to-survival-in-texas-because-you-live-there-now
Having lived in several states in the US during my life, including Texas, this article is a bellwether. Red states will experience the horrors of becoming Texas at a faster pace than blue states. Red states, in the two years since the Dobbs decision, have already begun to feel the fallout. Physicians are leaving as state reproductive slavery laws force them to provide substandard care which has lethal consequences for their patients. Employers are unable to attract qualified, talented employees to states which deny rights to women and young girls. Educational standards fall as the best teachers leave for bluer pastures. State tax revenues fall. Access to basic services becomes a fond memory. This will accelerate as Project 2025, which targets contraception, minorities, immigrants, LGBTQ+, and no fault divorce (just to name a few) is enacted.
Relocating is never easy or affordable. Individuals must make their own decisions about what is best, and realistic. Factors to consider are employment options, expectations for diversity, equality, and inclusion, educational access and quality of public schools, access to quality health care which meets or exceeds standards of care, housing options, access to nature, quality of public transportation, high percentage of progressive voters and office holders, and climate change resilience. The smart way forward is looking at many options, and including the factors most important to you. Ignoring how bad things are likely to get is probably not helpful.
I appreciate your remarks about the study of outcomes after the Great Migration. As you point out, Black people were redlined into the most environmentally toxic parts of cities like Chicago, and Detroit, which, along with poverty and institutional racism, contributes to poor health. These facts are indisputable, but don't really support a recommendation for vulnerable people to stay in red states where they, or their family members face real, state sanctioned terror and danger.
I have benefitted from unearned white privilege, which, by default, includes increased access to educational opportunities, and good career options. Misogyny aside, white women have a comparatively smoother path. This fact makes me ashamed and sorrowful. I've lived and worked in red and blue states. I presently live in a pleasant blue bubble in a deep red state. But, given our fears for the future, and our fear of most of the white people in this state, we intend to spend the coming year saving up and preparing for a move to a solidly blue, climate resilient state.
Come to New Mexico.
Terrifying article (as someone in California), but spot on. Thanks for sharing it.
“Misogyny aside, white women have a comparatively smoother path.”
First of all: Smoother than whose? Not sure I understand your point.
My point is, in the current US white, cis, male patriarchy, there are some demographic groups who can, with just a little luck, avoid the worst oppression. There is a hierarchy, and white women generally tend to fare better within this system than, for example, women of color. It's certainly not because white women have more skills, or talent. It's just white privilege, diluted down so white women can never benefit from white privilege as much as white men. But, there is no question women of color, lesbians, trans women, women with disabilities all face far more discrimination, than white, cis women. All women face the risk of misogyny, domestic partner violence, random stranger violence, glass ceilings and cliffs, and must be situationally aware at all times to avoid violence or assault.
I hope you don't take my comment as a form of bragging. As I said, my white privilege fills me with shame, and sorrow.
There’s no such thing as “Misogyny aside.” That’s No. 1.
I don’t think you were bragging. You’re mansplaining. We’ve had enough of it to last many lifetimes, thanks all the same.
OK. Since I am a cis, white woman, I don't understand your accusation of "mansplaining". I don't have any idea what your deal is, andvhad no intention to insult or trigger you. I have tried to be polite and sincere in responding to you. As a survivor of violent sexual assault, and a professional woman who has dealt with misogyny and microaggression for my entire life, I certainly do not need any rude backlash from you. You're welcome.
My apologies. You sounded like a man.
I will concede that instead of saying "Misogyny aside, white women have a comparatively smoother path." I could have instead said, "Despite misogyny, white women, like myself, have a comparatively smoother path than WOC, lesbians, trans women, women with disabilities."
Somehow, though, I get the feeling it wouldn't have made any difference, since you apparently already made the assumption I was a man. I have many failings, and regrets. But dismissing, then insulting people based on assumptions about their gender isn't one of them.
I understand why the most vulnerable would move right now. The problem is cost and longterm concerns — more Democratic voters in the current blue states (and the solidly blue ones not even swing states!) would ensure a GOP ruling majority, and the GOP won’t leave those blue states alone.
Yep--when I say "blue migrants can move out there and flip things" I don't mean the vulnerable--I totally understand not wanting to be part of that first wave over the trenches if you're a target. My message is for those with the means who won't be particularly targeted. As more set up out there, it becomes safer for others (particularly those who have been there in the first place, and can use allies).
And you're right--there's no "escape to blue states". I have a trans friend who right now is wondering if she'll be able to secure medication, and she lives in nice blue Maryland.
You're correct. As the author in the article I linked points out, Texas-style enshittification is coming to all 50 states in the next four years. My fear is it may not matter what we try to do to escape.